Boeing officials, including its CEO and the head of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), are set to meet today as the 90-day deadline to address the plane maker’s “systemic quality-control issues” nears.
The FAA imposed restrictions on Boeing’s production increase of 737 MAX jets in the aftermath of the Alaska Airlines door plug blowout incident in January.
Several other airlines reported issues with Boeing flights in the months that followed. Few found loose bolts and misdrilled holes inside the planes.
Subsequently, the FAA assigned a 3-month time period within which the company had to outline steps to take care of its flights’ structural issues.
The meetup on Thursday comes as Boeing faces a challenging year ahead.
Its CFO recently revealed the aviation giant will continue to burn through cash and expects no improvement in new plane deliveries for the second quarter.
It currently produces less than the number of 737 MAXs it is allowed to make in a month. The FAA has permitted it to make 38 MAXs.
In the first quarter alone
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Boeing used nearly $4 billion in cash, a trend likely to persist or worsen in the second quarter.
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Its CEO Dave Calhoun announced his resignation by year-end.
Other issues, like a pause on 737 MAX deliveries to China and a new FAA probe into Dreamliner inspections, further add to the challenges the company faces. American, United, and Southwest Airlines are adjusting operations due to delayed Boeing aircraft deliveries.